Therapeutic percussion vests or chest compression vests must typically be securely wrapped completely around an individual's body for a close, tight fit against the individual's chest or torso. Once wrapped around the patient's chest or torso, the vest may be attached to an air pulse generator or other device for generating oscillatory air pulses to the vest. This type of therapy can be used to produce vibrations on the patient's chest or other areas in an attempt to loosen secretions or mucus.
Oftentimes, however, patients who must undergo percussion, or other like therapy, are sickly, weak or obese and therefore have difficulty sitting up or positioning his or her body in a manner that would allow the vest to be wrapped around the body or chest. In such instances, two or more therapists or caregivers are often required to assist the patient in order to position the patient's body in an appropriate manner allowing for the vest to be wrapped around the patient's chest or torso. If additional help or assistance from other therapists or caregivers is not readily available, then treatment must either be postponed or, in the worst case, cancelled all together.
After treatment, the vest must be removed. Again, however, if the patient is sickly, weak or obese, for example, or otherwise cannot sit up or struggles to sit up without assistance, removal of the vest can be difficult. This process is, therefore, quite time consuming, rather difficult and physically exhausting, and oftentimes painful or uncomfortable for the patient, as well as the therapist(s) and caregiver(s).
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a chest compression device that can be positioned on the patient without having to move the patient or require the patient to sit up, particularly in the event the patient is sickly, weak or obese. In particular, the proposed device and/or attachment assembly may be structured to securely attach to the bed linen(s) or other sheet-like device positioned underneath the patient and accessible on opposite sides of the patient. For instance, one end of the device may attach to a bed sheet on one side of the patient and the other end of the device may attach to the bed sheet on the other side of the patient. With the patient lying on top of the bed sheet, and the device secured to the bed sheet on opposite sides of the patient, the device may be positioned in an overlying, secure manner to the patient's chest or other body portion for treatment. In this manner, the device need not be wrapped completely around the patient's torso, and thus, use of the device of certain embodiments does not require the patient to sit up.